Greaser wrote:

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BIGCARGUY wrote:

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Out of curiousity, what was a life span for a daily driver Canadian poncho of the '60's & '70's? I spoke to a guy who lived in Nova Scotia back in the '70's for his job. He drove over a '65 Bel air sedan with a 283 and powerglide from Los Angeles which was a clean sheet metal car. He said by 4rth winter the quarters ,rockers and lower front fenders were rotted out badly. The end of the car came on cold Canadian Winter when he got a flat tire in the parking lot. As soon as he started jacking it up again, the jack went through the rusted frame so it was scrapped after 6 years :(

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Raj, I think in years it last from place to place PEI, as opposed to Vancouver island and Saskatchewan,

 

Winter salt and ice would be the big factor on the body, but I bet the common denominator  on all of the cars wherever they were in Canada was the mileage.

...100,000 miles seem to be the limit on the driving life of cars in those days.....probably why the odometer only went to 100,000.

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 East coast "salt air" is another added factor. I "hear" rust every morning when I get up, where I live ... a 5 minute walk from the ocean.

 

My dads 57 Pontiac, that he bought in 1959 was already a rusted mess by 1967. What i mean by rusted mess is huge holes in the floor. I use to always watch my dad when he worked as a kid and i can remember watching my dad work on the floor of our 57 Pontiac. In the summer of 1967 i was about to turn 9 in the fall. I can remember seeing what seems like one foot wide holes in the floor at the rear passenger area. As a kid i thought.............what, that can not be right. Our 1967 Buick Special, that my dad bought new fared a lot better for some reason. That was in our family until 1983 and the floor was still good, the body work was in the rockers and for some reason the trunk lid. Salt and especially that salty brine stuff they spray is killer. Today's newer cars fair far better, with the way the bodies are built and the excellent under coatings and oil spraying. George.

 

I forgot to mention that my dad repaired those huge holes in the floor of our 57 Pontiac with plywood. Yes plywood that he screwed in. Also my dad repaired the rust in the frame above the rear wheels with 2X4's with long bolts holding the wood together. My dad repaired the rust in our 67 Buick's trunk lid with so much bondo that you could actually work out, lifting and lowering that trunk lid. My dad god bless him, could fix anything and make it work even better but when it came to automotive body work............. well he was his own man. George.

-- Edited by long stroke on Tuesday 10th of February 2015 10:56:25 PM

I guess I'm blessed that I live in Seattle. I'll make it point to stop and see my pastor and thank him (he owned a '68 Catalina brand new he said bought new at Totem Pontiac here in Seattle). The only rust we get are rear window,front and quarter panel rust, no frame issues at all thank goodness. Here is a '67 wagon I found:

Pontiacanada wrote:

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long stroke wrote:

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My dads 57 Pontiac, that he bought in 1959 was already a rusted mess by 1967. What i mean by rusted mess is huge holes in the floor. I use to always watch my dad when he worked as a kid and i can remember watching my dad work on the floor of our 57 Pontiac. In the summer of 1967 i was about to turn 9 in the fall. I can remember seeing what seems like one foot wide holes in the floor at the rear passenger area. As a kid i thought.............what, that can not be right. Our 1967 Buick Special, that my dad bought new fared a lot better for some reason. That was in our family until 1983 and the floor was still good, the body work was in the rockers and for some reason the trunk lid. Salt and especially that salty brine stuff they spray is killer. Today's newer cars fair far better, with the way the bodies are built and the excellent under coatings and oil spraying. George.

 

I forgot to mention that my dad repaired those huge holes in the floor of our 57 Pontiac with plywood. Yes plywood that he screwed in. Also my dad repaired the rust in the frame above the rear wheels with 2X4's with long bolts holding the wood together. My dad repaired the rust in our 67 Buick's trunk lid with so much bondo that you could actually work out, lifting and lowering that trunk lid. My dad god bless him, could fix anything and make it work even better but when it came to automotive body work............. well he was his own man. George.

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Great stories, they must bring a smile to your face.

I have similar stories about my Dad that make me smile. Like when he built a wheel barrow that was so over-engineered and heavy that he could barely push it when it was empty! It was re-purposed eventually as a trailer for the riding mower.

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 Darryl, you are doing it again............. brother you crack me up, hilarious. Cheers. George.

In the old days in Manitoba, a plate staring with U was a rental. Do you think that 65 Malibu convert was a rental? Did the US do the U thing as well?